5 Things to Know About The Fosters 5×16 – Giving Up The Ghost

In The Fosters 5×16, Grace’s ghost is back – but she’s not the only one feeling haunted. Read on for 5 things to know about The Fosters 5×16, “Giving Up The Ghost.”

1. Jude and Donald step up.

After running into Donald at the cemetery in the previous episode, Callie and Jude head over to Donald’s girlfriend Natalie’s house for dinner in The Fosters 5×16. Callie isn’t exactly enthused by the prospect – particularly in the wake of receiving a rejection letter from the UCSD art school – but she gives in to Jude’s pleas. There’s something Jude hasn’t taken into account, though: Natalie has her own teenage son. Between realizing Donald is a much better father to Caleb than he ever was to Jude and overhearing Callie tell Donald about going to school in Portland, Jude is upset enough to leave the house without saying goodbye. When Callie tracks him down, he admits he isn’t prepared for her to leave. What follows is an emotionally vulnerable conversation that calls back to the siblings’ lives before Callie met Stef and Lena.

“That’s why I can leave. It’s not just me and you anymore. You have all these people to look out for you who love you as much as I do – almost as much as I do. Jude, you’re my brother. This is my home. I will always come back.”

Toward the end of The Fosters 5×16, Jude makes his first mature move in a while and visits Donald to apologize. What’s more, he encourages Donald to be a father to Caleb rather than holding back due to guilt over not being around for Callie and Jude.

2. Grace gets ghosted.

Although it’s too early for Grace to know the results of her experimental gene therapy, the preliminary signs are positive – and that’s freaking her out. Specifically, she feels the presence of a ghost who visited her the last times she was sick, so she’s worried the treatment didn’t work. When Brandon tries to assure her that ghosts don’t exist, something falls off the wall of her apartment! Ultimately, he acknowledges that Grace’s fear is real regardless of whether the ghost is, and even helps her perform a ritual to make the ghost leave. To his credit, when she questions him about not believing in ghosts, he responds, “Just because I can’t feel him, doesn’t mean he’s not here.”

3. As Stef struggles to cope, Lena puts her foot down.

If you think there’s been way too much Tess drama in The Fosters season 5B, you’re not alone. Between finding out that Tess threatened Mariana, learning that Logan overheard Stef and Lena arguing about Tess potentially being gay, and seeing the effect that all this is having on her wife, Lena’s had enough. The next time Tess drops by, Lena tells her unequivocally, “You need to keep your business on your side of the fence. We’ve got our own problems to deal with in this house.” Speaking of those problems, starting therapy and taking medication doesn’t seem enough for Stef to feel more like herself, but maybe a weekend away at a couples’ retreat will help? (I’m… not hopeful.)

4. Callie’s contemplating a change.

Let’s rewind to the scene in which Callie tells Donald she plans to study in Portland after being rejected from UCSD. She notes that because she’s used to disappointment, she tries not to want anything too much – and her reservations may have come through in her portfolio. Donald tells her not to miss out on the good things in life due to playing it safe and encourages her to appeal the rejection. Later in The Fosters 5×16, Callie’s art professor tells her the real reason why her application was rejected: The passion she has for social justice is missing in her art. “Maybe you should go where the fire is already stoked,” her professor suggests. “Maybe art isn’t your true calling.”

Sidebar: Who else noticed that the letter from UCSD was addressed to “Callie Quinn Adams Foster”? That must be the name Callie’s going by nowadays.

5. Mariana clashes with Emma.

On the topic of college, Mariana’s already compiled a list of top-tier schools despite only being a junior, which should come as a surprise to precisely zero fans of the show. But although her grades are stellar, her college counselor thinks she needs to set herself apart by renewing her involvement in STEAM. There’s just one issue: Mariana was unceremoniously ousted from ABCC’s STEAM Club last season. Cut to Mariana and Emma vying for a prestigious STEAM-related summer internship and competing against Poppy and each other for the two jammer positions on Ximena’s roller derby team.

As if the situation weren’t complicated enough, Jesus’ loyalties are torn between his sister, his girlfriend, and whatever Poppy means to him. As The Fosters 5×16 draws to a close, Mariana and Emma secure the jammer positions. Chastened by a conversation with Jesus, Emma ultimately encourages Mariana to apply for the internship and tries to make things right with Poppy. Although Ximena only plays a minor role in The Fosters 5×16, the way she responds to Emma wanting to give up her jammer position constitutes one of the best moments in the episode:

“That’s not how this team works. We compete against ourselves, not each other. We empower our sister to do her best, even if her best is better than ours. ‘Cause we’re badasses here.”

About Nicola

A Pop City Life contributor since 2014, Nicola holds a degree in print and multimedia journalism from Emerson College. Raised in the UK, she has since lived in Philadelphia and Manhattan, and currently resides in Boston. She's a big fan of the Cheshire Cat.